Post-2015 polls violence looms, Akinyemi warns

A former minister has warned of a looming “horrendous violence” after next February’s general election.

Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, a former minister of External Affairs, in a December 16 letter to President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, urged the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to sign an undertaking to rein in their supporters after the election.

Akinyemi, who served during the military regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, was the deputy chairman of the National Conference organised by President Jonathan, whose recommendations are yet to be implemented.

Akinyemi recalled that he warned the then National Security Adviser (NSA), the late Gen Patrick Aziza, that violence “on a massive scale “would trail the results of the 2011 general elections.”

But he expressed regrets that his “conflict-controlled” measures were ignored. “We are back at the same crossroads again, except this time is more precarious and dangerous than the last time,” he added.

For the 2015 polls, Akinyemi said: “The certainty of violence is higher than it was in 2011. If President Jonathan wins, the North will erupt into violence as it did in 2011. If Gen. Buhari wins, the Niger Delta will erupt into violence.” I don’t believe that we need rocket science to make this prediction.”

The reason he gave for the impending violence is the “illegal massive importation of weapons into the country, which has reached such alarming proportions that I really wonder which is better armed, the militia on one hand or the official armed forces on the other hand”.

The international affairs expert recalled the “very notorious prediction from the United States semi-official sources that the world is expecting a cataclysmic meltdown of the Nigerian nation come 2015.”

Besides, he added that: “there are states and movements out there, Africans and non-Africans, which do not mean well for the Nigerian state, which wish Nigeria to dissolve into a theatre of bloodshed, gore and instability”. “They will succeed if we continue the politics of making enemies of ourselves and friends of our enemies.”

To prevent the disaster he predicted, Akinyemi suggested that frontline traditional rulers – the Sultan of Sokoto, the Emir of Kano, the Lamido of Adamawa from the North, the Ooni of Ife and the Oba of Benin from the South; elder statesman Chief Emeka Anyaoku; religious leaders Pastor Enoch Adeboye and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and ex-Heads of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar – should facilitate a pre-election meeting between the candidates, the preparation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and act as a Council of Wisemen to assist in managing the post-election conflicts.

According to Akinyemi, the recommended MoU should commit the candidates to “a civil and peaceful campaign, devoid of threats; a commitment to control their supporters after the elections; and that supporters of whoever loses should be entitled to peaceful protests but not to violent protests”.

6 thoughts on “Post-2015 polls violence looms, Akinyemi warns”

Oga Prof there be no problems as long as there is no ojoro, no wuru wuru, no mago mago. If the election is free, fair and transparent electorates will not be unruly. The absence of these democratic norms and tenets Will bringforth anachy.

I agree that candidates should put in checks their supporters and educate them accordingly

prof you just succeeded in exposing what many people expect but the suggestion you gave may be one of it the best suggestion of all suggestions is to have a free and fair election where the result will in tandem with peoples vote. may Allah save us from tyrant leaders like we are experiencing now.

The north and in particular (Northwest) has all but always ruled Nigeria. Why then would we always face Armageddon whenever they are not on the road to power? Such a Nigeria is not possible. And let the elements in the Southwest of Nigeria who are together with the northwest in this agenda simply agree to form a separate nation with them and part from others in peace, rather than join to fight for a union of all when other people decide not to tolerate it.

fair and free election and no probem. no freedon is won on the plater of gold. lives were lost to resits Biafra. lives were lost especially by NADECO to restore democracy. south Africa lost lives. blacks in the US lost lives etc. the problem is Nebiuchadnezher emjoys his BUZZ and four women-presidents without realising lives lost to restore democracy. voteAPC.change demonstrtaed in their transparent internal democracy